Tube socket for printed circuits



May 16, 1961 c. B. KNOX TUBE SOCKET FOR PRINTED CIRCUITS Filed July 22, 1957 INVENTOR. C4184 6 AKA 0 BY ww arm:

United States Patent 2,984,809 TUBE SOCKET FOR PRINTED CIRCUITS Carl Knox, Takoma Park, Md., assignor, by mesne assignments, to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force Filed July 22, 1957, Ser. No. 673,547

Claims. (Cl. 339-17) This invention relates to improvements in tube sockets for printed circuits.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved tube socket for printed circuits which will make said socket comparatively fixed and rigid when a tube is removed from it. A further object of this invention is to provide an mproved tube socket for printed circuits which will insure a substantially unbreakable connection between it and the printed circuit.

The above objects, as well as other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be more clearly apparent in view of the following description and claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is an exploded view, in perspective, illushating the component parts of a preferred embodiment of the invention, and

Figure 2 is a sectional elevational view of the invention. Referring now to Figure 2, the reference numeral 1 indicates an insulating radio chassis panel such as a printed circuit panel having a suitable socket receiving aperture 2 and, on its underside, a printed circuit (not shown) with terminals 3.

The annular socket 4 comprises an upper part 5 and a lower part 10. The diameter of the upper part 5 is greater than the diameter of the aperture 2 and is provided with a shoulder 8 for fastening tube shields. The apertures 6 of upper part 5 are suitably arranged for reception therein of the prongs of a tube and, as will be later explained, for reception of the hollow receptacles 11, of the bottom part 10. Centrally located, adaptable for reception of the socket fastener 9, such as a screw or rivet, and extending vertically throughout is the socket fastener bore 7 (Figure 1).

As seen in Figures 1 and 2, the bottom part 10 is adapted to be received in the aperture 2 and is provided with a shoulder 12, at which point the diameter of said bottom part is greater than that of the aperture 2, thereby preventing passage of said bottom part through aperture 2 after insertion of said bottom part to the shoulder point. Suitably arranged around centrally located bore are the hereinbefore mentioned receptacles 11. When the upper part 5 and the lower part 10 are joined together, the receptacles 11 are so aligned as to fit into the bottom of the apertures 6 and extend therethrough and the bore 15 is in alignment with the bore 7.

The pin receptacles 11 have pig tails or suitable wire connections 13 that are connected to the receptacles 11 at reference point 14. These pig tails extend around the bottom end of the lower part 10 and over the shoulder 12' having terminals 16, which register and are in electrical contact with the terminals 3 of the printed circuit.

As seen in Figure 2, when the socket and chassis panel are assembled, the lower part 10 is inserted in aperture 2 until the shoulder 12, having mounted upon it the pig tail terminals 16, prevents further insertion. The terminals 16 will give pressure contact to respective terminals 3 of the printed circuitwhen the upper and lower parts are joined together. However, these two sets of terminals may be soldered for double bonding. The lower surface of the upper part 5 fits flush against the top surface of the chassis panel 1 and over the pin receptacles 11 when it is joined with the lower part 10, by means of the socket fastener 9 placed through the bores 7 and 15.

In operation, when the prongs of a tube are placed in the apertures 6, there is a connection between the tube and the printed circuit. When the tube is removed to break the connection, the socket cannot be pulled through the chassis panel and if any rocking motion is used the solder connection to the printed circuit terminals cannot be easily broken.

It is apparent that the pin receptacles: 11 could be positioned in the upper part 5. Such an arrangement is clearly contemplated as being within the scope of the invention.

The above specification and drawing describe a specific embodiment of the invention for purposes of explanation, it being apparent that various minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims, whereby I claim:

1. In a vacuum tube socket for a printed circuit panel having a socket receiving aperture therethrough and printed circuit terminals on the under side extending to points at least closely adjacent said aperture, said vacuum tube socket comprising two parts adapted to be disposed at opposite sides of the panel and having maximum diameters greater than the diameter of said aperture, one of said parts having a concentric reduced diameter extension having a length not greater than the thickness of the panel, said maximum diameter of said one of said parts thereby forming a shoulder adapted to face said terminals, spaced contact terminals carried by said shoulder for contacting relation with said printed circuit terminals when said one part is inserted in said aperture and drawn toward said panel, the other of said parts having an abutment surface adapted to engage the opposite side of the panel when said parts are drawn together with the panel therebetween, spaced tubular receptacles carried by said one part and extending into similarly spaced receiving apertures formed through the other of said two parts and electrically connected to said spaced contact terminals on said shoulder, and means between said two parts for drawing the same toward each other when a printed circuit panel is disposed therebetween with the reduced extension inserted in the aperture in the panel, whereby to establish electrical contact between the printed circuit terminals aforesaid and said contact terminals.

2. A vacuum tube socket construction for a printed circuit panel having tube terminals on the underside thereof, and having a socket receiving aperture therethrough, with said terminals surrounding the aperture, said socket comprising an upper and a lower part adapted to be disposed on opposite sides of said panel, each of said parts having a diameter greater than the diameter of said aperture, a reduced diameter extension on said lower part adapted to be received in said aperture, said greater diameter of said lower part forming an annular stop shoulder on the lower part adapted to limit movement of said lower part through said aperture, tubular receptacles secured in said lower part and extending through suitably aligned apertures in said upper part, contacts carried on the shoulder of said lower part adapted for rfirm physical engagement with the tube terminals on the underside of said panel, means electrically connecting said receptacles to said contacts, and fastening means centrally disposed with respect to said aperture for securing said socket parts together in the aperture of the printed circuit panel with the panel between said upper and lower parts and the tube terminals in electrical contact with said contacts.

3. The structure as claimed in claim 2 wherein the contacts for engaging the tube terminals on said panel extend-radially inward and overlie the shoulder portion of the lower socket part.

4. A tube socket having terminals attached thereto for a panel having aprinted circuit with terminals adapted to be connected to the socket terminals and having a socket receiving aperture in said panel, said socket comprising an upper part and a lower part, each part having a diameter larger than the diameter of the aperture, said lower part having tubular pin receiving contact receptacles positioned to extend through the panel beyond the surface thereof when said one part is suitably positioned with relation to the aperture, and the other of said parts having holes adapted to receive said tubular pin receiving receptacle for reception of tube contact pins therein; said lower part having a reduced diameter cylindrical extension adapted to be received in the aperture and having a radially extending flange for movement limiting engagement with said panel with individual conductor terminals arranged on top of said flange to overlie and contact the terminals of the printed circuits, means connecting said individual conductor terminals to the conductor receptacles and centrally positioned fastening means for securing the two socket parts together in said aperture with the printed circuit panel disposed therebetween with the individual connector terminals in firm physical contact with the printed circuit terminals.

5. A tube socket having terminals attached thereto for a panel having a printed circuit and formed with a tube socket receiving aperture therethrough with spaced contact terminals adjacent the edge of said aperture adapted to be connected to the socket terminals, said socket comprising an upper part and a lower part, said lower part having a cylindrical section adapted to be received in the socket receiving aperture and having a radially extending annular stop flange, tubular contact receptacles fixed in said lower part and adapted to extend upwardly beyond the upper surface of the panel when said cylindrical section is placed in said aperture, indi- 'vidual conductors connected to the contact receptacles extending downwardly and around said annular flange and having terminals at one end resting on the upper sides of the flange to overlie the flange and adapted for firm physical engagement with the spaced terminals of the printed circuit, said upper part having a larger diameter than the socket receiving aperture and having holes therethrough for reception of the contact receptacles, and a centrally positioned fastening means between said upper and lower part for securing the two parts of the socket together with a printed circuit panel clamped therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,641,746 Keller June 9, 1953 2,788,386 McCarty Apr. 6, 1957 2,793,351 Heath May 21, 1957 2,794,96 Donato June 4, 1957 2,825,038 Woofter Feb. 25, 1958 2,829,359 Ritter Apr. 1, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 41,388 Austria Mar. 25, 1910 

